New Dads: "Damn, This Baby Makes Me Look Good!"

Women have long known that men just look way hotter with a baby on board (Hello! Matthew McConaughey pushing a stroller!). Now science is weighing in, saying that men whose wives give birth early in a marriage think they’re more attractive than before becoming dads.

The study, in the Journal of Gender Studies, speculates that it could be all those “OMG, how sweet! Look at the dad and his new baby” comments at the park. Or simply something more primal, like the fact that procreating is a sure-sign of masculinity, researchers told the Calgary Herald.

Of course, the timing on this newfound confidence can be awkward, especially since mom’s self-esteem may have taken a hit after packing on pregnancy pounds. But note, dad’s puffed-up ego is short-lived and returns to pre-pregnancy levels by baby’s first birthday.

What's more, another new study finds that, even more so than women, men who don’t have children feel lonelier and more depressed about it, according to a small, new study out of Great Britain.

We already know that becoming a dad makes men, in general, more responsible (you know, like stopping smoking and drinking) and more caring and less self-centered. And fathers tend to work harder and live longer than guys without kids. Yep, sounds like this dad thing is a trend that's gonna take off.